In My Opinion By Madeline

What I Will Miss About Mexico
~Learning Spanish through immersion
~My friends Javier & Eric
~Warm beaches
~Seeing other places
~Living a simpler life that is less busy than in America
~Walking around the town plaza and seeing friends there
~The cute little lizards

What I Will Not Miss About Mexico
~The starving dogs that walk around town
~Litter everywhere
~Scorpions
~Mexican food
~Hot climate
~Our La Huacana house
~Dirty floors


What I Look Forward to Once I Return to America
~4H
~Friends & Family
~My house, my bed
~Walking around the house with fuzzy socks, my comfy robe, wrapped in a blanket while looking out the window and watching it rain
~That cleaning our house will be easier
~My Church, Creekside Community
~English TV
~My rabbit and my dog Ayla, and Lily, Molly's chicken
~Quiet nighttimes

Sea Turtles "Tortugas"

The Knutz family got a real treat this last Sunday when we went to the coast. Our host, Enoch and his family took us to a sea turtle conservation project where local fisherman in cooperation with the University of Michoacan are working to protect sea turtle nesting grounds. The site was less than a couple acres in size. But what a joy to share in the this conservation effort. We were able to watch as one of the fishermen and Enoch's son Erwin dug up a nest of hatchling turtles.

Sea turtles begin their lives as eggs buried by their mothers on a sandy beach. After 45-70 days of incubation, baby sea turtles emerge from their sandy nests and immediately head for the ocean. They reach maturity in 25 to 50 years. After mating, adult females often cross ocean basins back to their original nesting beaches to lay eggs and renew the cycle. They are excellent navigators, able to sense minute variations in the Earth’s magnetic field. The chances of surviving to adulthood are extremely low, so turtles lay up to 150 eggs per nest and may nest up to three times in a season. They nest every two to three years.

The Black Sea Turtles that we released have declined globally 80 percent over the last 150 years. Breeding populations of black turtles off Mexico are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In the 1980s, black turtles at their major nesting beach, Colola Beach in Michoacán, Mexico, declined significantly from 5,500 nesting females to a low of 171. The population is now increasing, though numbers are still well below their natural levels.
There are two other varieties of sea turtles that nest at this site, one of them being the leatherback sea turtle. Since 1980, leatherbacks have declined by 95% at their major Pacific nesting beaches. If current trends continue, Pacific leatherbacks will go extinct within the next few decades and there is a 50% chance they will be gone within 11-12 years.

This was our eniter party. Enoch and Easter have three sons who are gentlemen with a heart to serve others. Enoch and his family have really befriended us and have invited us to several outings. Enoch teaches welding and physical science. He always has smile on his face and a good attitude.

The two girls are Karen (in the red shirt) has been a wonderful translator for us. She has also become good friend to Molly. Her sister Adeline is a joy to be with as well. They live in L.A. but are spending this year in La Huacana with their aunt who is also in our group photo (left).

Household Responsibilities Take Alot More Time

I am including a second post on laundering and about my Mexican dishwasher -by request.

Caring for my families clothing takes a large part of my day. I am fortunate enough to have an electric clothes washer but how I wash and how others wash here in Mexico are two different things. I wash 2-3 loads each day, as many that will fit on the clothes lines. With six of us wearing adult-sized clothing added with frequent changing due to the climate, this demands a lot of washing. I use my washer for every single load but most people only use their washers only for jeans -those that own washers that is. Instead, the cement cistern (I do not know what else to call it) serves as their washing machine. Mexican women scrub everything on the rivets you see here and with a scrub brush. I am impressed with how every one's clothes look. Meticulously clean and pressed. I asked Lupe why she doesn't wash all her clothes in the machine but she didn't explain. Could it possibly be because this is the way it has been done for generations or because their machines don't clean very well. I think it may be both.

In the center is where a large amount of water is held; on each end is the deep square wholes. One end serves to wash clothes, the other for washing dishes. Each end has a drain for the soiled water. There are many living creatures swimming in that water and grasping onto the bottom and side walls. Madeline has made issue of it several times trying to show me but I have had to turn my head and look the other day. (What I don't know won't hurt me!) After all, my kitchen dishes are being washed in this water.

This end is where my kids wash the family dishes. The water is scooped up out of the cistern into large wash and rinse containers. The dishes dry outside in these drainers. All the water is room temperature. This cistern can be handy. I haul out all the dirty dishes and scoop water into them to soak. They can wait outside until someone is ready to attend to them. Meanwhile, the kitchen inside is clean!

Once I am back in America I will kiss my dishwasher and my washer and dryer! I have heard my kids discuss how incredibly disappointed they will be if they learn upon their return that our dishwasher has broken down. They say it with a giggle. However, I wouldn't mind having one of these handy things on my deck!

What is It About the Knutzs?

For the fourth time since our arrival in Mexico, an unwelcomed quest from the arachnid family paid us a visit. Timing was perfect as usual, about an hour before bed. The scorpions are making their rounds, each time showing themselves in a different location. This time, the location was the wall of my bedroom. Two weeks ago a scorpion visited Madeline's bedroom. Consequently, that room has been abandoned.

Would someone please explain this to me? Lupe shared with me that she has never seen a scorpion in her house. In her humored sort of way, she joked that scorpions like us and aren't we so lucky! Well, aren't they just friendly, welcoming this US family to their country? No, thank you. Why can't the little stingers stay outside in their cozy wood pile?

Last night's visitor was a smaller scorpion. The smaller scorpions really bug me. If it is baby, that might mean there is a whole litter of siblings waiting till big brother declares the coast is clear. Or worse yet, where is mother and father?

I am thankful that scorpions are relatively easy to kill. They just sit on the wall unknowingly as the hammer is coming down. They take their destiny rather well. There was one exception. The scorpion that was found on the ceiling of Madeline's bedroom took off on a dead-run after Mike climbed to the ceiling with his hammer in tow. The ugly varmint torpedoed to the floor and Mike had to chase it down, slamming the hammer multiple times before killing the little buger. Bam, bam, bam! You think smashing a spider is gross?

Every night when I head for bed I feel a tightening of all my muscles. There is something about finding a scorpion in your bedroom. Getting up at night requires all of the lights to be turned on, a thorough scan in all directions and the shaking out of my slippers. The hardest task yet is to fetch a drink of water at night for my parched throat. My need wins out over my fear. This will require me to stick my hand behind my refrigerator to turn on the kitchen light. I have yet to figure out how to communicate to them I'd like them to quit their night job.

I am constantly on duty, inspecting day and night for these creepy crawlers. This may sound silly to you, but ask my family how I handled seeing a daddy long-legged spider in my bathtub as a little girl. Four more rooms, and the scorpions will have successfully greeted the Americans in every single room of this house. Once Lupe moves back into her home at the end of March, she will never have to worry about these litter critters; they would have used up all their appearances.

Ignorance was Bliss

The other day I was "let in the know". Lupe told me that my family's clothes looked wrinkled and that I needed to start ironing. Since I come from the states and own a dryer, I normally only iron on special occassions. If something looks terrible coming out of the dryer, it is usually replaced easy enough. A few little wrinkles have never bothered me. Also, I use this handy-dandy wrinkle-release spray, and whatever job it can't handle, well, I usually don't wear that item to often.

I have been informed though that here in La Huacana, wrinkles bother everyone; that people are staring at us and thinking ill thoughts. This all came as sort of a shock. I ask my kids what they know. Molly confessed that someone had asked her if Americans iron their clothing. Had I been letting Mike go to school and teach classes everyday in clothing that would make him look ridiculous? Mike and I have been teaching the kids to adapt to the Mexican culture. They are frequently reminded that we are guests in someone else's country.It took days for that talk with Lupe to sink in. I decided to think on it awhile. She, afterall, was asking alot from a family of six all wearing adult-sized clothing. While "thinking on it", I started observing all the people around me. Sure enough, it was true. Every one's clothes were meticulously ironed. Not a wrinkle anywhere to be found. Even t-shirts get ironed. Oh, my goodness, this means life in Mexico was dramatically about to change.

Today, I ironed for atleast two hours, after ironing three yesterday. I am ironing silly t-shirts, basketball shorts, casual shorts, blouses, everything accept socks and underwear. I have to admit, I think Lupe and the rest of her country are right. The clothes look so much nicer. I can hardly believe we were walking around a wrinkled mess. The clothes line just doesn't cut it. For seven weeks I didn't iron and for the next seven, it will take time out of every day. This mama won't be able to do it all on her own. This week was declared "learn how to iron" week. I should have took the suttle hint way back when our translators dropped us off in December. Norma had told me that an iron and I would become best-friends.

An Average Day in the Life of the Knutzs

A few people have asked what a "normal" day looks like for us in Mexico. This is how most days work themselves out.

6:45 AM
Mike, Molly and Josh leave for school


7-1o AM
Showers, breakfast, morning chores, Tammy starts laundry, ironing, floors, Spanish lessons on computer begin, alternating people


10-1 PM
*Home school for Maddy and Jake, email and blogging for Tammy
(Activities are interrupted multiple times from people stopping by to ask about this, to sell that, and students dropping in)


10 PM MONDAY ONLY
Monday market day. Vendors come from all over with fresh foods, household items and clothing. It is the cheapest way to buy things here. And, it's just plain fun!


1:00 PM
*Mike and teens arrive home from school. With them come 5-15 students on any given day. This time changes frequently.


2 PM THURSDAY ONLY
(No English class today) Mike hauls a van loud of kids to La Presa to swim and jump (see blog!)


1-4 PM
*Mike studies for his English class and does bible study with students
*Teen hang-out time, card playing, goofing off,
*Practice the language with the studengs through friendship
*Tammy: make snacks, wash cups, serve drinks, translate English for Step class that afternoon, serve salsa and guacamole
*Knutz kids try to get their daily chores done amongst the chaos, Kids teach card games

4-5:30 PM
*Mike teaches an English class to local school teachers
*Tammy & Molly attend Mike's English class since we learn Spanish at same time
*Josh and Jake practice basketball at school with the team
*Maddy chills at house

5-11 PM FRIDAY ONLY
Friday Night Fun Night, kids come to have salsa, guacamole, tostadas, soda and Pizza. Card playing, goof-off time, a movie in Spanish at 8

5:30 PM
*Lupe picks up Tammy. Tammy teaches Step class for 2 Spanish teachers at her ranch house
*Mike hangs out with students that come to house after basketball, gives kids snacks, sometimes prepares dinner

7:30 PM
*Tammy returns from exercising. Time to eat. Many times we walk to town for real Mexican food. We can feed the whole family for under $15. We have two regular students who have dinner with us every night.

8 -10 PM
Normal Activities, depending on the day:
*Shop in downtown tiendas for groceries.
*Walk and hang out in plaza.
*Visit with Fernando (see blog)
*Recap with our kids, take time to encourage and instruct with what's been happening in their daily lives in Mexico

Sunday Night is Plaza Night. The evening mass ends at 5:30 PM, the tiendas close up shop and everyone stays in (after mass) town in there best Sunday attire. The Catholic church opens up into the town square. People walk the town square, or gather on the benches to enjoy a long evening of fellowship and fun.

WEEKENDS ARE DIFFERENT. We try to leave town to see what else is in Mexico! It requires about a 3 hour drive whatever direction we travel.

Testing the Limits of My Hospitality

There is no quiet hour. Living here pushes all the boundaries of my hospitality. This morning I was in the shower. Around 7:45 AM, two of our regular student visitors show up. Maddy welcomes them into the house, something she does several times a day already. Unknowingly, I open the door to the bathroom to talk to my daughter who should be the only person in the house. She screams, "Mom! Be careful! We have company!" Madeline has to help me get from the bathroom into my bedroom and not be seen by the young men. This makes me chuckle and shake my head. Better be more careful!!!!

Welding class was canceled since a teacher didn't show up. Instead of waiting around school for the next class as normal, Reece and Rodrigo decide to come see us. I have learned to be extremely flexible! I am honored they all like spend time with us. Sometimes the noise level gets bothersome but I send up a quick prayer and remember why I am here.

I have finally drawn one boundary. No more basketball playing in the house. I am proud of myself.

Thurday and Sunday are La Presa Days

A sweetheart swim down the river. Very refreshing! These days are looked forward to since we know we can bring down our body temperature a little. It is too warm to even hold hands in the country! We managed to get located in the warmest part of the country this time of year.

OK, I simply could not resist posting this picture. They all love jumping, esp. if I have the camera in my hands.

Thursday and Sunday afternoons are "La Presa Days". The kids know that they can come here to meet us to catch a ride up to the swimming hole.

Every week the kids take turns diving and posing for my camera. Later that week, our amigos visit us eager to see themselves in a slide-show on our computer.

Mail Service; Thankfulness

This is La Huacana's postman. He rides up on his bicycle during the heat of the day and taps on the bars of my gates. A basket holds about ten envelopes to be delivered. After a couple of deliveries to our la casa, this man has been happy to deliver to us. To assure that our mail gets careful attention, we have decided to tip him.

We were told before leaving the states that mail in Mexico is very undependable; our mail from America may make it to us or not. There were a couple of very important packages that we were concerned about containing needed medicines. Our friends were praying for protection over these packages. Not only did these packages make it in a timely fashion, but several others as well. I am thankful for the two Christmas pictures that were sent. They hang on my refrigerator and we look at them daily. These are the only pictures that I have.

Maddy has been encouraged by a couple of friends who have sent letters. I told her that she is getting kind of expensive since I have to tip the mailman every time she gets a letter. (Not really, keep 'em coming).

So far, everything that has been sent has made it no problem! Thank you Lord.

My Guacamole Girl

A Recipe

Here is a recipe that I tried last night and liked. Guacamole though really doesn't need a recipe. Just mash a couple of avocados, add chopped onion, chopped tomato and whatever other flavors you like. I have sampled numerous varieties since being in Mexico. Madeline is very good at throwing ingredients together and making the dip delicious. She has decided to make her own recipe for the Yamhill Co. Favorite Food Fair.

Avocados are extremely nutritious, raising your omega oils which is often lacking in most people's diets. The problem is, they are very high in fat, up to 60 grams! (Imagine the calories). Mexico produces 80% of the avocados in the world most of which are grown in Michoacan. They are also very cheap. On any given day, there are 6 or more large avocados on my counter. There is no wait time since they are ripe enough to use right away. When I serve avocado dip, I try to substitute it as my "meat" for that meal. They are that hearty. Lunch is often a tostada, smeared with avocado dip and topped with fresh salsa. Yummy!

Here is the recipe

2 large avocados
3.5 TBSP. minced fresh cilantro
3.5 TBSP finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped tomato
2 serrano chilis, finely chopped
1 avocado pit
salt to taste

One secret to mexican cookery is finely chopped ingredients, esp. the peppers! Add fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice to the dip to keep it from turning color. Garnish this dish with a little of the onion, tomato and cilantro, and drop the pit in the center to make it attractive.

Speaking of peppers, there are numerous varieties. Mexicans call all peppers "chilis". It took me awhile to figure that out. I had been shopping for chilis as a form of a pepper. I plan to search online and study each type. Each recipe requires a different pepper and each kind does drastically change flavor.

Women use stone bowls and stone tools to grind ingredients. This looks interesting so I plan to buy one to bring home!

A Visit to La Haucana's Hospital

Madeline came down with a bug that caused her Asthma to act up. It required an emergency trip to the hospital. Upon waking Tuesday morning, her lungs were greatly constricted and she was having to push to get what little oxygen she was getting. We had a very good experience there. Read the post, "Special Treatment".

This is one concern I had to surrender to the Lord before leaving the states. With a daughter who has food allergies, syncope spells and Asthma, I knew it was very likley she would require medical attention in a four month period. (We always do at home). Knowing nothing about Mexico's medical sytem, I aimed to fully trust the Lord.

The school principle sent both a teacher and a student with us to the hospital. The student was able to translate for us. The teacher showed us where to find the hospital and pharmacies.

Pictured is Mike, Karen (translator), the principle, the nurse, doctor and Madeline.
Madeline has recovered nicely at home after recieving all the care she needed.

God Protects His People, Again . . .

Another Unwelcomed Visitor

We learned the importance of wearing your shoes in Mexico. Every time Lupe has come to visit and has caught one of my children meandering barefoot, she has practically thrown a fit. She points at her shoes and in her broken English shouts, “Shoes, shoes, shoes! You get sick!” Lupe will grab her throat and squeeze to signify sickness. Skeptically, I tried to reason it out. Are there parasites in the soil that can be absorbed through the skin? In faith, I began to warn the kids in the same alarming manner, adding, “I may not be able to explain it but we are going to do what Lupe says.” I decided it was likely some old wives tale; Lupe had also told Madeline not to drink cold drinks due to her Asthma. Her throat would swell shut. The kids were to play it safe but more importantly, honor Lupe.

Now I can see how God had been using Lupe to warn us about bare feet. Last night, Jake walked to the kitchen and returned with Madeline following him. I heard a loud, fearful screech. Madeline had stumbled upon a scorpion that Jake had just crunched with one of his shoes seconds prior, unbeknownst to him. The scorpion was wiggling, half alive. Thankfully, Jake and Madeline were wearing their shoes, having been admonished frequently the prior two days. There had been regular traffic between the kitchen and living room by all of the family the entire evening. Josh presently sat on the couch in his socked feet.

I thank God for using Lupe to warn us. Of course I took the opportunity to use my mothering skills and pointed out the fact how easily any one of them could have been barefoot at that moment. God had truly gone before us knowing that scorpion would visit. I still don’t know about parasites, but scorpions alone are reason enough to wear your shoes in Mexico. In the future, I doubt that mom nor Lupe will be needed to warn kids to keep their shoes on.

God protects His People!

Special Treatment

Hi All,

I am sitting in town at the Cyber Cafe looking through the blog to read new comments. Molly is sitting next to me Face Booking. I just have to let you know what is going on all around us. Five muchachos (young men) are hanging out about eight feet from us. And, the size is growing by the minute. They are making a lot of racket, saying Molly´s name in English, laughing and cutting up. I asked Molly why they are saying her name over and over and she said, ¨Because they think it is cool.¨ This is the way it is everywhere my kids go. They are such an item of interest. Every day after school I hear stories. We are hearing random English words directed our way with laughing. Molly is pretty good at being kind to the young men but ignoring them when it is appropriate. She handles them with grace giving them enough attention to not be rude but not too much to encourage them.

Our children are treated with great honor. They are forced to take the best seat, to be the 1st in the lunch line, etc... This bothers my kids. Today they laid their feet down and insisted on going to the back of the lunch line like everyone else. I am not sure if this okay to do. We are continually trying to figure out the social graces here. There have been a few social blunders....

Mike and I have had the same experience yesterday. Madeline came down sick and her asthma starting acting up. We had to take her to the local hospital since her rescue inhaler wasn´t cutting it, and when we got there, there was lots of people waiting to see a doctor. I thought¨oh my goodness, this is going to take awhile¨. Well, they rolled out the red carpet for us and took us straight back to see a doctor. Mike says the school principle called ahead to let them know we were coming. I was glad MAddy got immediate attention because she truly needed it but we all know what emergency rooms are like in the US.

Yesterday the doctor wrote several perscriptions and then sent us out to the pharmacy to pick them up. We had to visit a couple of pharmacies to find each medication. One store owner gave our persciptions to us without knowing us at all. Then, after returning to the hospital with the meds, the doctor admitted Maddy for treatment. This same doctor has made herself available to us day and night while we are here in La Haucana. The school principle came to check on us while there. After being there for a couple of hours, we were excused and expected to pay nothing. What a blessing this was since we really didn´t have the money this would have required.

God takes care of his people!

School Celebrities

First Day of School

Our children are school celebrities now. I think the teachers must all be going out of their minds with all the ruckus of the new kids in town. The Knutz’s are no longer “no bodies” in La Haucana. We can walk through the plaza now and the kids come up to us to talk. They want to talk to the white English teacher.

The school principle asked for all our kids official paperwork and grades, etc.. The school has been open for 28 years now and never have they had white kids in attendance. He wants them to go on record. My kids reported, “Now all the kids know where we live!” They had followed them home from school and sat outside our garage door gates for a couple hours. They are walking by regularly to see what’s up. Since we have no windows, they can hear us and we can hear them.

My children are coming home from school completely spent. Right now, an afternoon siesta is imperative. Sitting in seven Spanish speaking classes a day requires a lot of brain power. The constant attention is exhausting as well. School starts early at 7 AM. The eat breakfast at school at 10 AM and then return home at 1 PM. I have never seen my kids so tired in their lives!

Mike is taking pictures at the school. Currently he knows much more about the school system and will be posting about that. I have yet to go to help at the school. I plan to go a day or two a week. Keeping up on shopping, cooking and cleaning here at home is more work than at home in Oregon. Because everyone else is in school, their knowledge is growing much faster than mine. ~T

Emailing, My Spacing, Face Booking and a Blogging

The kids (and their parents) have been chatting with their friends several times a week. As you can tell, communicating with our friends and family is very important. It lifts everyone’s spirits! So far, it has been fighting of home-sickness. Thank you to all who take the time to talk to our children. It is always nice to hear from home.

Why Are We Here?

This week everyone went to school for the first time. Mike, Molly, Josh and Jake all went to the esculea secondaria (middle school). Madeline is picked up every morning by her 5th grade teacher. Since Mike is a professor for Oregon State University, they allowed him to come here on a sabbital leave to immerse into the culture and learn the language. He is teaching English classes at the middle school, providing guidance with the school farm (agriculture background) and taking the spanish classes. The same is true for the rest of us. English is highly regarded here and the people are very excited we are here. The kids are recruited to help in the English classes. Mike´s growth here will be valuable for his job back at home. It will provide him with language skills and understanding for the Spanish audience in our home community, enabling him to better reach spanish people with the 4-H program. Our children´s growth is valuable too. I can´t even imagine at this point all that the Lord is going to do through this.



Mike and I decided this was the best way for them to get as much as possible from our trip is for them to go to the public school. They are forced to interact all day long with Spanish speaking adults and children. Oh, the stories that I heard this afternoon. All the children crowd around my kids in large groups. It´s a very unique experience for the children to have white English kids in their school. Josh said that if he slowed his walk or paused to sit down, in 30 seconds he was surrounded with excited, jabbering kids. Madeline has found herself to make friends easy. All are eager to help them with their very poor Spanish.

Ross Warner said to me before leaving the states, ¨It will be interesting to see how God uses this in your children´s lives in the many years to come¨. That was eye-opening for me. My heart did a little leap as I considered his remark. I had been so focused on the here and now that I hadn´t yet considered this. Our children have needed reminded over and over that they themselves have been called to be in Mexico. It has been a lot to ask to pull them from their home and their friends to come to a foreign place. The only way to makes sense is to be serving a higher purpose. I tell them that this is what it means to walk by faith. We may not fully understand today why God he has us here or can physically see what He is doing. We can fully trust that He is always at work. It is likely beyond what our little ol minds can comprehend.

I am content as I watch my kids gain a better understanding of these people. I desire for all of us to have a greater love for them and to be able to communicate with them. I know there are many Mexicans who live in our home town that need to be shown God´s love. We all look forward to seeing God´s plans and purposes unravel, in His timing.

Cooking Lessons the Hard Way

The Culprits

Next time you see these little bugers, proceed with caution. They only look harmless. The rest of the story. . .

What I didn't know while I was stir frying this meat with the above peppers, was that my mouth, lips, and hands would soon be on fire. I laughed last night as I read Joellen Armstrong's post on her experience with making salsa. She learned too the importance of using gloves when working with peppers. The irony of Joellen chopping in McMinnville while I was chopping in La Haucana, learning the same hard lesson. She, however, ran to google and found the remedy. Toothpaste cools pepper burns. Wish I had known. . . What was crazier is that while I was making dinner, our Mexican friend, Fernando was present and quickly cautioned me not to touch my face while chopping. I thought I hadn't but it was soon revealed that I had many times! My hands were still burning 24 hours later. I don't know what these little peppers are called but Fernando said they are of the hottest available. They added a nice flavor to my beef I must admit, without being overly potent. This cooking lesson I had to learn on my own, by trial. Today Loopay came over and I talked her into making salsa right in front of me. Yummy! I now have all the secret ingredients to Mexico's finest fresh salsa! We had been experimenting at home but nothing compared to this. The secret is lime juice and salt. I will post the recipe next time. I left my notebook at home and want to give you the name of the right pepper to use.

Oh, and what is that funny tube thing around my neck? It is a balloon that has been filled with water. Madeline learned the trick of how to keep her mom cool in Mexico. She keeps two in the fridge at all times, one to cool, one to refrigerate while the other is in use. I often wear them in the afternoons, especially while I cook. Isn't Maddy clever?

Snorkel Mania

The verdict is in. All the Knutz's love to snorkel. This was a first for us. It was amazing to be so close to God's magnificent creation. A gentleman who works on Iztapa Island took us to the best spot. He got in with us with a package of crackers. After opening them, their were hundreds of beautiful fish all around us. It was nearly impossible to drag the girls out of the water. ~T

Jake gets his Christmas wish. When we rolled into town he was declaring how badly he'd like a kitty for a pet while living in La Huacana. On Christmas Eve, "Chica" was captured outside our house. She was obviously dieing of starvation, unable to walk, patches of hair missing, paint in her fur and in desperate need of a bath. Maddy and Jake feed her as much as they can. She is the friendliest kitty we have ever known. (There are numerous neglected animals in Mexico; we are glad to have saved one!)